Salvitor

I’ve lived in New York for the last 23 years. I was in wholesale cosmetics, and I was a glazer. I’m going back to school soon. Wholesale cosmetics and cutting glass is probably what I’d be doing [if I wasn’t here]…if you want to know what my individual reason for being here is – living in New York, you pretty much pay 40% in taxes.

What my America would look like 5 years from now? Very similar to this one. We’re not far from it. America’s fine. We just have to…people just have to realize they have a little more power. A few laws gotta get changed, but that’s about it. No more career politicians.

I came out here the first day after work. I just expected to find a bunch of dirty hippies, and I thought, “oh, there’s only seven of them,” so I decided to stay. And I quit my job and decided to become part of the occupation. I dropped my entire life to be out here. Friends kind of wonder what happened to me. I guess it almost seems a little cult-ish. It’s pretty much my entire life; it’s what I talk about. Everyone I hang out with are all OWS people, so all you do is talk about OWS. I went and hung out with a girl I hadn’t seen in three years. Last night I went and stayed at her apartment in the city, and I realized that, “Oh man, all I was talking about was OWS.” So, when I’m not here, all I do is think about the place.

I liked it. I was doing something. I was fundraising during the day and buying people hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. I found out I’m a pretty charismatic asshole. People like to give money to those types of people. So, I was able to get money and do good things with it.

It’s really quite inspiring. It’s been so rustic, and it’s not like the protests of the last decade where there was “No Blood for Oil.” Everyone was so nice looking, and the signs, everyone put time into it. Here it’s just grab a piece of cardboard and write “fuckin’,” write something, and that’s it. I love it.

I feel like I’m a part of history. That’s really one of the main reasons I wanted to come down here, because I figure this is going to be something they teach in history books. I don’t see us not being successful. We’re 1,500 cities and growing. I’m in the paper almost every day. My pictures are turning up everywhere. My friends are constantly texting me, and calling me saying, “I just saw you on the news,” or, “I just saw you on the live stream.” It’s cool. You know you’re on the front lines. I’m seeing so much police brutality, and I’m right in front of it.

[We need] more people involved, and [them] realizing that they have some sort of say in what goes on, some kind. And I know we’re not one man, one vote, and it’s impossible to have a Plebeian system. I think the GA (General Assembly) has proved that. General Assemblies prove that you need representatives because not everyone wants to hear your motherfuckin’ opinion.

What my America would look like 5 years from now? Very similar to this one. We’re not far from it. America’s fine. We just have to…people just have to realize they have a little more power. A few laws gotta get changed, but that’s about it. No more career politicians.